Prescription verification system

• US 9,501,623 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2012
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nevoca Com Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Nevoca Com Incorporated
• Inventors: Denny, Lawrence A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Masud, Rokib
• Application Number:
  US13/572,851
• Publication Number:
  US 20130173280A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,562 Days
• Field of Search: 705/22, 705/26, 705/34
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

An apparatus for permitting a pharmacist to verify a refill of a filled prescription stored on a host system. A prescription refill screen is provided by the host system to a pharmacy system associated with the pharmacist. The prescription refill screen is associated with the filled prescription. Refill request information is received from the pharmacy system. The refill request information identifying a requested refill of the filled prescription. The refill request information is transmitted through the host system to a health care provider system associated with a health care provider identified by the filled prescription stored on the host system. The host system receives an authorization from the health care provider system authorizing the requested refill of the filled prescription. The host system transmits authorization to the pharmacy system whereby the pharmacist associated with the pharmacy system is authorized to provide the refill of the filled prescription to the patient.

Claims

1. A method for renewing prescriptions, comprising:

submitting, by a member pharmacy via a pharmacy computer system, a login request, including a password associated with the member pharmacy, to an internet website comprising processors and non-transitory memory storing records for a plurality of patients, each of the records containing a set of prescription information including a unique health care provider code identifying a particular member health care provider who prescribed the prescription, and a patient code uniquely identifying the patient receiving the prescription, one or more of the records containing prescription information indicative of filled prescriptions, the internet website also storing pharmacy passwords for verifying the identity of a plurality of member pharmacies, and also storing health care provider passwords for verifying the identity of a plurality of member health care providers;

verifying, with the processors using the stored pharmacy passwords, that the login request is associated with one of the member pharmacies;

providing, from the processors via the internet website an electronic prescription renewal screen to the pharmacy computer system, the prescription renewal screen being associated with a previously filled prescription;

receiving, by the processors via the Internet website, information indicative of a refill request from the pharmacy computer system, the refill request identifying a requested refill of the previously filled prescription;

identifying, by the processors using the records, the member health care provider that prescribed the prescription;

receiving, by the processors, a login request from a provider computer system associated with the member health care provider that prescribed the prescription, the login request including the password associated with the member health care provider;

verifying, by the processors using the stored health care provider passwords, that the login request is associated with the member health care provider identified by the previously filled prescription;

transmitting, by the processors via the internet, the refill request through the internet website to the provider computer system;

receiving, by the processors via the internet, an authorization from the provider computer system authorizing the refill request of the previously filled prescription;

transmitting, by the internet website via the internet, the authorization to the pharmacy computer system from which the refill request originated; and

fulfilling, by the member pharmacy, a refill prescription for a patient based on the transmitted authorization.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising outputting, by the internet website, a report to a computer associated with a user other than a member health care provider or a member pharmacy.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the authorization includes a message from the member health care provider.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating, by the internet website, a new database record for the refill prescription.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the user is associated with a governmental entity.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the user is associated with an insurance company.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the report is summarized by a name of the member health care provider.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising outputting, by the internet website, a patient prescription history, wherein the patient prescription history includes previous patient prescriptions associated by at least one of a patient code, a health care provider code, and a pharmacy code.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the internet website, whether the member health care provider identified by the previously filled prescription is logged onto the internet website prior to transmitting the refill request to the provider computer system associated with the member health care provider identified by the previously filled prescription.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising notifying, by the internet website, the member health care provider that the refill request has been received.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein notifying the member health care provider that the refill request has been received comprises transmitting an indicator to the provider computer system associated with the member health care provider identified by the previously filled prescription.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising delivering, by the internet website, the refill request to a message box for delivery to the member health care provider prior to transmitting the refill request to the provider computer system associated with the member health care provider.

13. A method for renewing prescriptions, comprising:

submitting, by a member pharmacy via a pharmacy computer system, a login request, including a password associated with the member pharmacy, to an internet website comprising processors and non-transitory memory storing records for a plurality of patients, each of the records containing a set of prescription information including a unique health care provider code identifying a particular member health care provider who prescribed the prescription, and a patient code uniquely identifying the patient receiving the prescription, one or more of the records containing prescription information indicative of filled prescriptions, the internet website also storing pharmacy passwords for verifying the identity of a plurality of member pharmacies, and also storing health care provider passwords for verifying the identity of a plurality of member health care providers;

receiving, by the member pharmacy, upon verification of the login request based on comparison of the submitted password and the stored pharmacy passwords, from the processors via the internet website, an electronic prescription renewal screen, the prescription renewal screen being associated with a previously filled prescription for a patient;

submitting, by the pharmacy computer system to the processors via the internet website through the electronic prescription renewal screen, a refill prescription request having information identifying a requested refill of the previously filled prescription for the patient;

receiving, by the pharmacy computer system via the internet website, authorization of the refill prescription request, the authorization based on the internet website (1) identifying, using the records, the member health care provider that prescribed the prescription, (2) receiving a login request from a provider computer system associated with the member health care provider that prescribed the prescription, the login request including the password associated with the member health care provider, (3) verifying, using the stored health care provider passwords, that the login request is associated with the member health care provider identified by the previously filled prescription, and (4) receiving via the internet the authorization from the provider computer system authorizing the requested refill of the previously filled prescription; and

fulfilling, by the member pharmacy, a refill prescription for the patient based on the transmitted authorization.